Welcome Back to the Land of Oz
by The Author Challenger Muse
Summary: Sequel to "The Dimensions of Dreams" Dean gets some unexpected visitors while he's at Lisa's, more than one person is outted, relationships form, friendships deepen, Cas gets cleansed of pride, Bobby doesn't want to know why Dean's blushing. DeanCas
1. Ding-Dong, She's Not Dead

**Welcome Back to the Land of Oz**

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Supernatural.

Pairings:

Dean/Castiel

Karen/Lily

Timeline

Season 6

Summary:

Sequel to "The Dimensions of Dreams" Dean gets some unexpected visitors while he's at Lisa's, more than one person is outted, relationships form, friendships deepen, Cas gets cleansed of pride, Bobby doesn't want to know why Dean's blushing

* * *

Chapter 1:

Ding-Dong, She's Not Dead

It's been four days since he came to Lisa's doorstep after watching his brother take Lucifer, Michael and Adam into the cage with him. He can't even think about what to do. The only reason he's here is because of Sam. Even Cas left him to go play sheriff in Heaven. He can't take this.

Ding-dong!

Dean rolls over.

Ding-dong!

It takes him until the fourth doorbell ring to realize Ben's in school and Lisa is at work.

Ding-dong!

He grits his teeth. By the eleventh ring he's up and ready to yell at whoever's stupid enough to have not taken the hint that no one's coming to the door. Except when he yanks it open he freezes and his anger is instantly gone until his hunter instincts kick in to tell him this is probably a shape shifter.

Karen smiles. "Hi Dean," she says, practically chipper. "Ready to slip on your ruby slippers and hit this yellow-brick road?"

He reaches for his knife only to remember that Lisa asked him earlier to lock up his weapons so Ben wouldn't get into them. Shit!

"Dean I'm not a shifter. Don't be stupid. How would one even have been able to copy me?" She asked, with slightly narrowed yet amused brown eyes.

"Karen's dead!" He shouted gruffly. "And she didn't wear glasses!"

She winced at his volume. "Man your breath stinks and for your information, fading doesn't equal death if you weren't fully here to begin with. And since I wasn't completely here I didn't need my glasses."

The green-eyed hunter just stared at her confused, angry, and tense.

Karen sighed. "All right, fine. Go get your supplies so you can do your little tests. I'll just wait right here."

He backs up, keeping his eyes on her or at least in her direction until he reaches the kitchen. Once there he searches for a silver knife.

The dark-haired woman at the door glances at the other woman crouched down by one of the bushes. Luckily Dean hadn't noticed her.

Dean comes back, holding the silver knife pointed at her.

She rolled her eyes and held out her arm. "Try to be gentle. I'm not the one used to getting sliced."

He watches as she squeezes her eyes shut and quickly moves forward, placing the sharp edge against her arm. Against his better judgment he doesn't cut deep. He is never more confused than when she bleeds the normal human red. "Karen?" The hunter whispers.

The woman grimaces at the cut on her arm. "Thanks. Gotta be careful since I can actually be killed and all that now."

Without warning he rushes forward to hug her, actually picking her up.

"Dean!" She whines as he hugs her a bit too tightly. "My physical form isn't as strong as my spirit form!"

He stiffens as he hears someone laughing, putting her down gently to glare at a hazel-eyed brunette standing in Lisa's front yard.

Karen puts a hand on his arm. "She's good Dean."

His grip on the knife relaxes.

Then she leans forward and whispers, "Couldn't come back without my soul mate after all."

Green eyes widen slightly before he smirks. "You never told me you were-"

"Shh!" Brown orbs glared. "She doesn't know she's my soul mate so keep your trap shut."

He chuckles. "I'm glad you're back. Even if you kinda look like a nerd now."

She half-glared, half-smiled at him. "I missed you too. Even though you smell like a drunken hobo."

They all laughed.

"So, not that I'm not happy you're alive but what happened?" Dean asked as the three of them sat down in Lisa's living room. The corner of his mouth twitched as his friend's soul mate, Lily was her name, sat so close to Karen they were touching. As if the couch wasn't big enough to hold four people.

"Well, amazingly enough, my assumption of my spirit traveling while I was asleep was correct."

He raised a brow at this.

Ignoring him, she continued, "Of course it wasn't a normal sleep. I was actually in a coma for almost four weeks."

Dean frowned. "But you were here for-"

"-almost four months," the black-haired woman finished. "True, but while we're unconscious our spirit enters a different time zone. Sometimes a faster one, sometimes a slower one." Then she frowned in confusion. "It seems to me that all our dreams were simply our spirits visiting alternate realities, which is why we can revisit certain dream realities."

"So how'd you get back here?" His eyes narrowed when he saw her look down guiltily. "Karen?"

Brown eyes glanced up and she quietly confessed, "I may have told Cas I thought there was a chance I wouldn't die so when I almost completely faded out he sort of downloaded rituals into my head on how I could get back."

His jaw tightened. "Cas knew?"

"I made him promise not to tell Dean," she said stubbornly. "I said I thought there was a chance. Neither of us knew for sure." Leaning back and crossing her arms she added, "I didn't want you guys distracted by my situation when you already had to deal with finding a way to stop the apocalypse."

Lily watched the two staring at each other, her best friend trying to out-stubborn the hunter.

Finally, he glanced away. "Fine," he conceded, the tension easing away. She did have a point. And besides, the angel _had_ made sure that she could return.

Karen grinned, slightly smug. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" Green eyes looked up, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"How long have you been here?"

He frowned, almost wincing. "Four days." His frown deepened. "Sam-"

"We know Dean."

Dean stared at her, confused.

"I wasn't kidding when I said this is a TV show where I come from," the dark-haired woman explained. "We saw what happened."

He looked down at the floor, depressed.

"So we know you've been here four days too long."

The hunter glanced up.

"You haven't lost everyone Dean," the brown-eyed woman told him. "But if you stay here, things will take a long turn for the worst. And you'll be miserable until Lisa decides you should go your own way."

He stared at the floor again. Lisa was going to kick him out? Well, he certainly wasn't really surprised by that.

"But if you leave now." Dean's friend paused. "You might be able to save both Sam and Castiel."

At that his head snapped up. Not only because of his brother, but because of the angel. "Cas is in trouble?"

* * *

When Lisa came home she was happy to see Dean was up but confused on who the two young women with him were.

He glanced up at her, a guilty expression on his face.

"Did you…sleep with them?"

Immediately their expressions all reflected surprise.

The women also looked as if they were both contemplating such an idea before glancing at each other and shaking their heads as if to say neither wanted such a thing.

Dean however, was horrified. "What?!" He looked back at Karen and Lily then over to Lisa. "She's like my annoying little sister!"

To that Karen whined, "Heeey! I'm not annoying!"

Lily rolled her eyes in amusement. "But you concede to being little?"

She turned toward her, mouth open in shock. "But you're shorter than me! Besides, Dean's older! I could still have another growth spurt!"

The green-eyed man gave her a look. "And whiny too," he added, causing her to pout. He couldn't help but smile as the pout was directed at her soul mate, who rubbed the top of her head affectionately.

Lisa frowned. "Then, who are they?"

"Friends," Karen told her. "He thought I was dying and tried to save my life once." She frowned and glanced over to Lily. "That actually doesn't sound as good as it was in my head."

"Well, the little details make all the difference," the brunette replied.

To that she sort of slowly tilted her head to the side, then without pause down in an odd sort of nod of agreement. Glancing back at Lisa, she added, "We all thought I was dying when I wasn't." She shrugged and looked away as if indifferent about the whole thing.

"Oh." She didn't really understand at all.

"Yeah, well Karen and Lily are here because they need my help with a case they're working on and kinda asked if I'd be willing to help teach them how to become better hunters." Dean lied.

Lisa took in their appearance and concluded they must either be new at it or hunting monsters didn't necessarily equal having lots of muscle power. She smiled sadly at him. "You don't need my permission. I understand." And she did. They'd talked before when he'd first found out about Ben that he could stay, that he could choose to quit hunting. But now, now she knew hunting with others, teaching other hunters was probably the best thing he could do in order to heal from the loss of his brother. And so, she'd let him go and if it was meant to be…maybe he'd come back.

* * *

"How'd you two get here anyway?" The hunter asked as he drove the Impala, the two women sitting in the back seat. "And I don't mean this dimension, I mean Lisa's."

To this a disgruntled look came over Karen's face. "Bobby told us where you were after we were done suffering through all his tests." She glared at Dean who was chuckling at the idea of her going through Bobby's thorough testing. "He offered to let us have a car but I pointed out that neither of us really had that much experience driving. So he dropped us off in town."

He nodded. "So what's this about Cas being in trouble? I thought he was living it up as the new sheriff in town."

"Unfortunately you both assumed Raphael would allow him to be in charge. We're not sure if it's happened or not but Raph is gonna give Castiel an ultimatum: fall in line or die. And since falling in line isn't an option he'll have twenty-four hours to either pull something out of thin air or accept his own demise." The black-haired woman informed him.

And Dean could just see the angel accepting his own demise considering the last time he'd seen Raphael. Cas had been so sure he wouldn't survive that encounter. "And what, he doesn't come to me for help?"

"Actually he'll be watching you rake leaves as he debates whether or not to do so. Eventually he'll decide that you deserve to have a chance without the supernatural. Of course that's when the solution to his problem will appear."

The hunter frowned. "I thought you said he needed my help."

The two women exchange looks.

"Dean," Lily takes over where her best friend left off. "The solution works. The only problem with it is that even though it keeps Lucifer and Michael in the cage so that the apocalypse won't happen, you abandon Cas because of it. In fact, you even attempt to kill him."

At that Dean pulls the Impala over to the side of the road so he can turn around to look at them.

"You mean Sam tries to kill him. Dean never really had a chance to try," Karen points out.

"What?! Why would either of us try to kill him?!"

The brunette replied, "I'd like to point something out first. Dean, was it wrong to sell your soul to save Sam?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Crowley offers Castiel a deal," the one with the glasses informed him.

He frowned. "But I thought angels don't have souls."

"They don't and for the record, Crowley has promoted himself from king of the crossroads to king of hell."

Well, it wasn't anywhere as bad as making a deal with Lucifer. After all, king of hell or not, Crowley was still just a demon. "Okay, so what's this deal Cas and Crowley make?"

They both share a look.

"Well? Come on, spit it out."

After a moment, Lily answers, "Crowley lent Castiel enough souls so that Cas could officially start a war with Raphael."

"Wait, souls? What do souls have to do with anything," he asked.

Karen sighed. "Souls are power Dean. That's why Crowley was powerful enough to take over Hell and it's why angels are so powerful, because of all the souls in Heaven. As an archangel, Raphael has access to more power than Cas and can cut Cas off, which is why when he became part of Team Free Will his power greatly decreased."

Dean nodded in understanding. "Alright, but what did Crowley want in exchange for the power-up?"

"Half," Lily flatly states.

He frowns, confused. "Half of what? Heaven?"

"No, he wants half of the souls they'll collect when they figure out a way to open Purgatory." The hazel-eyed brunette informs him.

The hunter blinks. "Purgatory's real?"

Karen slaps her forehead and mutters in her you-are-such-an-idiot-sometimes voice. "Why, oh, why are you surprised? I mean, obviously the monster souls had to go somewhere since they don't go to hell and certainly won't be allowed into Heaven."

"Heh," he grins at her, "well you know I'm not really one to ponder the workings of the universe and all."

"You're just the type that's constantly complaining about it." She told him.

Dean just smirks. "Wrong Winchester. Sammy's the bitch." Then his expression drops. Sam.

"We know how to get Sam's soul back," Lily says suddenly and his green eyes brighten again before confusion sets in.

Why did she say _Sam's soul_ like they didn't have to worry about bringing him back to life?

* * *

It isn't until he's back under Bobby's roof, trying to sleep, that he ponders everything. How great it was that Karen hadn't really died. How soulless Sam is walking around. How Karen and Lily said it was best not to let soulless Sam know they were getting his soul back until it was too late. How Cas is or already has made a deal with Crowley in order to stop Raphael from starting the apocalypse. How Karen and Lily told him Crowley would find a way to open Purgatory with or without the angel and that agreeing to the deal was a very good thing as it would be easier for them to stop the demon from gaining even more power. He had to admit that it made sense. And he could also understand that if he didn't know all this that he'd probably react badly to the news. He couldn't blame Cas. Crowley had sorta helped them out before so it was understandable that the angel would think it was okay to accept his help. It wasn't like Castiel sold his soul or anything. He drifted off to sleep, thinking of how Castiel had actually given in and gave Karen a piggy back ride, and feel asleep with a smile on his lips.

* * *

Cas is happy to return to Heaven. He's happy but… Things are different. Heaven is not what it once was to him anymore. It feels like there's something missing now. Still, he ignores the feeling as his brothers and sisters greet him. But what they want of him is not what he expected either. When they ask what God, what their Father wants them to do; he tells them He wants them to have free will. But they don't understand. They can't even seem to imagine what it even means. Before he can figure out a way to explain it though, a way to teach them, one of his brothers informs him that Raphael wants to speak to him.

* * *

Castiel wonders how his brother can be so blind, how he can't see that their Father clearly doesn't want the world to end. Humans have always been favored over angels in His eyes though as this is the second time God has brought him back he's starting to believe he may also be in that category. After he finishes healing himself from the damage Raphael has done he leaves Heaven and appears in front of Lisa's house. It is with great confusion that he finds the hunter absent. Even more so when he figures out the hunter has left Lisa's residence. He frowns, his hands sliding into the pockets of his trench coat. His expression clears and he lifts one hand out of the pocket, a pair of boxers in his hand. His lips twitched as he read 'Property of Castiel' that had been written by Karen. He wondered if she had known Dean would run off to try to say yes or if she knew he'd need the article of clothing now that he had no idea where the hunter had went. Her idea of somehow using something of Dean's to track him had been a good idea. One it seems he was going to be using once again.

* * *

"So what do you think so far?" Karen asked Lily as the lied side by side, having to share a bed due to the limited space at Bobby's.

For a moment the brunette said nothing. "Are you sure we won't screw things up? I mean you said last time you never told them anything about the future. What if we make things worse? What if we die? A couple martial art classes are not exactly the level of training we'll need to survive here."

She moved her head forward, resting her forehead against her soul mate's. "I really don't know what consequences our interference will have, but we'll get through it. We'll have Dean, Bobby, Sam and Cas to help us and watch our backs. I'm sure Dean will have fun kicking our asses into tip top hunter shape. So don't you worry." The woman paused for a moment. "Besides, I'm pretty sure anything worth doing always has some sort of risk."

"True," Lily agreed. After a moment of silence she asked, "But how is Cas gonna find us? Aren't those angel signals still carved into Dean's ribs?"

Karen grinned. "Well, remember how I told you I gave Cas a pair of Dean's boxers?"

* * *

**I love reviews. I'm having my operation next Tuesday so I won't be updating for like 3 weeks, maybe a month because I have no internet at home and am not allowed to travel for at least two weeks after I go home. Hopefully there won't be any complications. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the first chapter.**

* * *

**Next time:**

Chapter 2:

Acknowledging Uncompleted Bonds

Cas replied, "Perhaps it is due to her soul mate being in such close proximity without having completed the bond."

There was complete silence as Karen's eyes widened as she nervously glanced at Lily who was frowning in confusion. "Yeah," she cleared her throat, "Well, I can think of two other people in this room who haven't _completed the bond_."

Castiel shifted uncertainly as Dean looked at him.

* * *

**Get ready for fluff and drama**


	2. Acknowledging Uncompleted Bonds

**Welcome Back to the Land of Oz**

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Supernatural.

Pairings:

Dean/Castiel

Karen/Lily

Timeline

Season 6

Summary:

Sequel to "The Dimensions of Dreams" Dean gets some unexpected visitors while he's at Lisa's, more than one person is outted, relationships form, friendships deepen, Cas gets cleansed of pride, Bobby doesn't want to know why Dean's blushing

* * *

Chapter 2:

Acknowledging Uncompleted Bonds

Everyone looked up from their spots at the kitchen table as they heard the sound of wings but it was Bobby who took one look at the boxers in the angel's hands, saw Dean's flushed face, decided he didn't want to know and so swiftly excused himself. "You igits work things out between yourselves."

Lily and Karen were grinning while Dean sighed, covering his eyes with his hand. Was he _never_ going to live down this particular prank?

Castiel took one look at Karen and the stranger before his eyes widened. "Karen?"

She stood up and tugged on Lily's hand. "Group hug!"

The blue-eyed angel wrapped his arms around the two women who gleefully returned the hug.

Karen glanced over Cas's shoulder toward Dean, "Get your ass over here. I said group hug. That means you too."

Protesting under his breath, he got up and went over to the group. He paused, trying to decide who to hug and how before wrapping one arm around Castiel and the other around Karen.

No one saw it but Castiel smiled. As the hug ended and everyone took a step back, his smile disappeared. "I bring grave news."

"Raphael booted you out of Heaven and threatened to kill you because he wants to get the apocalypse back on track?" Dean asked.

The angel's expression reflected confusion as he frowned. "Yes. How did you," he paused, remembering something. He glanced toward Karen. "You saw it?"

She smiled and nudged Lily, who smiled back. "Well, _we_ saw it."

"What do we do?" Cas questioned.

Dean sighed, "Apparently wait for Crowley to show up and offer you a deal. You take it to buy us time while we figure something out and I go have a chat with Death to see about getting Sammy's soul back."

Castiel grimaced, "I brought him back without a soul?"

The hunter patted him on the shoulder, "You did your best buddy. And hey, according to Lily it shouldn't be too hard to convince Death to bring up Sam's soul."

Cas stood there, in disbelief that he had missed something so big. He should've known as soon as Sam walked away from Lisa's house. Sam did want his brother to have a normal life but he wouldn't want Dean to suffer, thinking that he was dead when he wasn't. Suddenly he felt something hit his head and purple-colored water coated the top of his head, dripping down onto the trench coat.

"Ta-da!" Karen exclaimed happily.

Lily was sort of looking at her best friend with this what-the-fuck expression.

"You have now been cleansed of pride!"

Dean snorted.

"Thank you Karen," he said seriously, feeling a lot better. She'd been right. He had been prideful, arrogant to think he could fully raise Sam on his own.

"Where did you even get a water balloon and the food coloring?" The brunette questioned the black-haired woman.

"Dean bought me some stuff at the stop we made, remember?"

To that, she narrowed her hazel eyes at the hunter who held up his hands in defeat.

"Hey, she promised not to use any of the stuff I bought for her on me." Dean said in his defense.

Lily rolled her eyes, causing Karen to giggle.

He glanced over at her, "Jesus, when did you turn so giggly?"

No evidence that he had ever been hit with the water balloon remained as Cas replied, "Perhaps it is due to her soul mate being in such close proximity without having completed the bond."

There was complete silence as Karen's eyes widened as she nervously glanced at Lily who was frowning in confusion. "Yeah," she cleared her throat, "Well, I can think of two other people in this room who haven't _completed the bond_."

Castiel shifted uncertainly as Dean looked at him. After Karen's disappearance he had a lot more free time. He'd been amazed at how much time she'd taken up but supposed it wasn't all that surprising when neither of them had needed sleep in the beginning. Karen's topic of a soul mate had made him re-evaluate his own bond with Dean and he had been surprised to find it was very possible that it was a soul-bond or rather in this case, a soul-grace bond.

"We have a bond?!" The hunter exclaimed.

His blue eyes met Dean's. "You and I do share a profound bond." Then he glanced away, suddenly nervous. Why did his face feel warm?

Dean just kept staring at the blushing angel.

Lily was torn between wanting to help push the hunter and angel together and asking Karen when they'd developed a bond on level with Dean and Castiel's.

The sound of wings flapping signaled the angel's disappearance.

She turned toward Karen, "We have a bond? We have a bond like Dean and Cas?"

Dean, long practiced in the art of denial and changing the subject, focused on the two women instead. "How else do you expect she got pulled back into your world?"

The brunette frowned as she stared at her best friend. "Me? I brought you out of your coma? I pulled you from another universe?"

The brown-eyed woman bit her lower lip and nodded.

Dean glanced back and forth between them while they stared at each other. "Sooo."

They both looked at him.

"You guys gonna kiss or what?"

Lily's eyes widened and she took a step back, "But I don't like girls!"

Dean frowned at her as Karen shrunk into herself a little. "Listen, the bond is already there. It's been there for a long time according to Cas. Whether you acknowledge it or not, reject it or accept it, the bond will remain there. It formed because of how you _both_ felt."

"I-I."

Karen hesitantly glanced up at her.

"I need to think about it." Then she walked out of the room.

The black-haired woman's shoulders slumped slightly as she released a sigh.

Dean patted her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry so much. At least she didn't say no, right?"

She offered him an uneasy smile, "It's just that we both sort of have commitment issues."

The hunter frowned. "What? Like you'd actually cheat on each other?"

Karen shook her head, "No, nothing like that. I mean, since falling in love with her, even looking at another person sorta just felt wrong. And even if I did love someone else, even if I had the chance to be with someone else, it never felt quite right because they weren't her. And as far as I know, she's never even had any sort of interest in anyone else since we've met. It's just that…" She paused, trying to put her fear into words. "I don't want her to change for me. I want her to change for her. I'm afraid of asking too much, of pushing too far too soon and her thinking she's obligated to give in. And honestly, I've never felt I've deserved someone as good as her. She makes me want to be better, but what if that's not enough?" She paused, tears forming in her eyes as she whispered, "What if I'm not supposed to be loved?" Brown eyes met green. "Maybe the reason she won't have me is because I'm too screwed up inside."

Although she'd never told him a lot about her past, Castiel had shared with him the knowledge he'd gained from the memories she'd shown him. He wrapped his arms around her, expecting to feel tears on his shoulder but she never let them fall. "You're not too screwed up. You're just kinda quirky. And occasionally a bit nuts."

She choked back a laugh. "And silly?"

"And silly," he agreed.

"And you love me?"

"You're family," he reassured her.

"Even if I screw up?"

"Even if you screw up."

"Even if I put itching powder in your underwear?"

"Even then." He smiled, mentally making a note to check his clothes for itching powder.

"Even if you found out I was secretly plotting to destroy the world?"

Hoping she was joking, he replied, "Even if you plotted the destruction of the universe though that's not to say I wouldn't be angry about it."

She giggled, pulling away from the hug. "Well, I guess I'll just have to cancel that plan then."

"Good call." He smiled back.

Smirking, she told him, "You can go check your clothes for the itching powder that may or may not be there now." She laughed at the expression on his face as he grumbled thanks.

Dean never noticed Lily was sitting in the other room and so didn't know she'd heard everything that'd been said in the kitchen.

Lily loved Karen. That wasn't the question. The question was could she love her best friend the way her best friend loved her. She'd never considered herself attracted to Karen. Not really. If she loved seeing her smile or hearing her laugh, that was perfectly normal for a friend. If she couldn't stand seeing her sad or hurt, that was normal too. Friends could hug and cuddle. And if she enjoyed occasionally seeing Karen's eyes glaze over when she rubbed a certain spot, that was fine. Wasn't it? And those times when she wanted to explore, to find more ticklish spots or an area that would make her scream… That was perfectly innocent, wasn't it? She inwardly sighed. Yes, and it was perfectly normal friend-like behavior to wait for your friend to fall asleep, secretly cuddle with them and then lie about it when they wake up and ask if you were cuddling with them. And why lie? Why had she panicked? Karen wouldn't have objected or anything. At least, she was pretty sure she wouldn't. God, she was in love, wasn't she? She closed her eyes and tried to picture kissing her best friend. When she opened her eyes she realized she'd been holding her breath and her heart beat had quickened. Well, now for the final test, actually kissing said best friend.

* * *

As far as Dean could tell, there was no itching powder. However, he knew Karen was the type who could have the patience to go over a prank with a fine comb. So, with that in mind, he decided to be safe rather than sorry and decided to just wash all his clothes. The sound of wings made his body automatically turn to face the angel.

Castiel stood there nervously, his hands in his coat pockets. "I just wanted to inform you that I do not expect you to do anything about our bond. There is no need to-"

"Cas," the hunter interrupted.

Blue puppy dog eyes stared back.

"Dude, I get it. I'm glad you're not pushing me to make a decision right now." He scratched the back of his neck, "I'm not…" Dean's face flushed. Damn, he was gonna sound like such a fucking girl for saying this. "I'm not rejecting you or the bond. I just need some time to wrap my head around it; I'm not ready to _complete the bond_." His face turned an even darker shade of red. "Not yet."

The angel's mouth turned up in a small smile. "Then I will wait."

He coughed, "Thanks Cas."

"Perhaps until you are ready we could try dating?"

The green-eyed man laughed at his expression. Apparently his angel wasn't quite sure if he'd used the right word or not. "Yeah, we could do that."

"Awww," cooed a voice from the doorway. "You guys are so cute when you're having a moment."

Dean glared at the black-haired woman peeking around the doorway. "We're not cute! We're manly!"

The other woman in the doorway drawled, "But you're not insecure about your masculinity at all."

"Oh? And what about you Miss I-don't-like-girls?" He bit back.

With a bored expression, the hazel-eyed woman declared, "I'd didn't bond with a gender; I bonded with a person. She just happens to be a girl."

And Dean supposed he'd think of it that way with Castiel. After all, as an angel, Cas wasn't technically either gender though any physical bonding they did would be between two guys. His face flushed at the thought as he looked at the angel out of the corner of his eye.

"Five bucks says he thinking about sex with Cas," Karen whispered loudly.

The hunter's right eyebrow twitched.

Lily shook her head. "No bet. He's definitely thinking about it."

"Probably planning what moves he's going to try first," the dark-haired woman snickered.

He grinned widely in a way that was obviously the opposite of very happy. "Karen."

She glanced up at him.

"Run."

The dark-eyed woman laughed nervously. "Well, that's my cue." Then she disappeared, her feet surprising almost completely silent against the floor as she stealthy made her retreat.

Castiel and Lily stood there as Dean loudly chased after her, his feet thumping against the floor.

"Sooo."

The angel glanced at Karen's soul-mate.

The hazel-eyed woman looked at him. "Does this mean you and Dean could have kids?"

He blushed. "I am unsure. To my knowledge, there has never been this type of bond between a human and an angel. I do not know what the possible benefits of it could be."

Benefits. She gave him a small sly smile. "So you want kids?"

"I am not opposed to the idea." His blush faded. "Do you wish to have children?"

This time it was her turn to flush. "I…uh, I'm," she cleared her throat. "I'm not opposed," Lily replied.

Castiel stared at her for a moment. "Perhaps when the time comes that you and Karen wish to have a child I may be able to ensure the child will be of you both biologically."

She blinked. Then the corner of her mouth curled up. "Thanks Cas. But perhaps we should keep that knowledge to ourselves."

He tilted his head, puzzled.

"There's no reason to get her overexcited about something we're not ready for. Besides, we haven't even gone on a date yet."

Cas nodded in understanding. He could see the woman getting overexcited about the idea. Plus, perhaps it would be a more wonderful surprise if Lily was the one to inform her of the possibility. He knew the idea of Dean and himself possibly having a child certainly filled him with elation. Maybe he would do as Lily had decided though and keep the possibility to himself. After all, for it to even be a possibility they'd have to complete the bond first.

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**So what do you think of the Dean/Cas, Karen/Lily and the friendship/family moments between Dean/Karen, Cas/Lily?**

**Yeah, no complications with my opperation! ^^ So in about two more weeks I should be like 75% healed up. The time it takes to heal up fully varies. They said it can take several months before I stop feeling pain every now and then.**

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**Next time:**

Epilogue

Short but sweet and maybe a bit random


	3. Epilogue

**Welcome Back to the Land of Oz**

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything from Supernatural.

Pairings:

Dean/Castiel

Karen/Lily

Timeline

Season 6

Summary:

Sequel to "The Dimensions of Dreams" Dean gets some unexpected visitors while he's at Lisa's, more than one person is outted, relationships form, friendships deepen, Cas gets cleansed of pride, Bobby doesn't want to know why Dean's blushing

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Epilogue

Having two people who had an idea of future problems that would be popping up was useful but despite everyone's opinion on the matter, there were some things Karen and Lily refused to tell more than one person. There were some things only meant for certain people's ears. And when the two started having chats with each of them, they had to grudgingly agree that no one else needed to know. The big things though, Karen and Lily told them outright. Samuel, Dragons, Eve, Purgatory, the souls, Leviathan, Naomi, The Men of Letters, the tablets. When the knowledge was needed, if they had it, they would give it. And as a result the future changed. It was better, easier.

Castiel still took in all the souls of Purgatory and double crossed Crowley, but he did it with the support of Dean, Sam, Bobby, Karen and Lily. He did it, knowing there was a time limit. And when he put the souls back after destroying Raphael and Sam's wall, his family was ready to wait for him to stumble out of the lake with amnesia. They helped him remember so he could transfer Sam's crazy to himself. But unlike what would've happened without interference, he traveled with them to help hunt down Leviathan. And thanks to that, when Bobby gets shot by Dick, Castiel is there to heal him. He becomes friends with a girl who calls herself Charlie and heals her when she's injured in helping them locate the first tablet. And when Lily privately tells him helping Dean kill Dick will put them both in Purgatory, he only questions if Dean will survive before she hits him and says they'll both survive if they follow a vampire named Benny to the exit. Due to the lack of guilt, he has no problem following his boyfriend and their friend out of Purgatory. He follows her advice about keeping off of Heaven's radar and does his best to hide he's an angel. After reuniting, he's introduced to the BatCave and realizes instantly, that this place will be their home. He doesn't worry about Naomi or the tablets because by this point, he truly believes that they can't be torn apart. The night all the angels currently in Heaven are forced to fall to Earth, Castiel proposes and Dean says yes.

Sam only has a few days worth of memories of being soulless. His memories of hell are intense and still require to be pushed behind a wall, but he has no trouble with resisting scratching at the barrier. Knowing Dean and Castiel aren't gone forever, that they'll find their way out of Purgatory is a huge relief. Having Bobby, Karen and Lily is a bonus as the four of them prepare for the two's return plus a special vampire.

Together they acquire the key to the hideout of the Men of Letters and start studying and training for what Karen and Lily warn is coming. When Kevin escapes Crowley, they take him and his mother there so he can translate the tablet without being in total seclusion or with only his mother around for company. After Kevin is done translating the demon tablet, they lock up the tablet and Kevin's notes in different areas to keep them safe. In the end, Kevin and his mother become family and learn to hunt with the rest of them.

Karen and Lily get their asses kicked into shape by Dean, Sam and occasionally Cas until the Winchesters are convinced the two women can defend themselves. They easily fall into a routine although there's the occasional awkward moment when one of them walks in on one of the two couples and sometimes, usually when the girls are the ones who got walked in on, things get thrown. Usually at Sam's head. Some time after Dean and Castiel's return from Purgatory, they check up on Metatron and convince him to leave Castiel out of his plans because he's part of their family. The night the angels fall from the skies, Karen pops the question to Lily and Lily says no. But before Karen can pout Lily takes out a ring and says she wanted to be the one to ask.

Two engagements, two simple and uncomplicated marriages (after they make Castiel an identity). Sam is Dean's best man. Benny is Castiel's. Charlie is Karen's bridesmaid and Sam is Lily's. And because they asked, Dean gives Karen away and Castiel gives Lily away. Attending as guests and witnesses are Kevin, Kevin's mother and Bobby.

Two years later, Castiel and Lily surprise their spouses with the knowledge they can have biological kids together. A month later, they discover Castiel's help with Lily and Karen having children has a welcomed side affect. Like what was discovered with Dean after Cas and the hunter completed the bond, Karen and Lily have stopped aging. That's when Dean tells Sam to come out of the closet now and settle down with a guy so Cas can help them too. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, this prompts a search for Sam's soul-mate which irritates the younger Winchester immensely considering the amount of guys they try to set him up with. That is, until Karen and Lily pray one night for Sam's soul-mate to come find him and Gabriel is suddenly brought back to life.

And so, Dean, Castiel, Karen, Lily, Sam and Gabriel live the next couple thousand years raising their slow-aging children (as it turned out was also a side affect of Cas helping Lily and Karen). They keep the secrets of Heaven, Purgatory and Hell…the secrets of life and death. And they spend an eternity together.

The End

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**Did I overdue the ending? I feel like I overdid it or something.**


End file.
